Light entertainment: the lantern festival at Chiswick House

THE lantern festival is back in Chiswick House for the second year, complete with dozens of stunning illuminations to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

There are 50 brand new radiant installations, including a 15m sculpture of the Houses of Parliament and a replica of the ship used by Chinese Admiral Zheng on his trade missions.

This year’s theme is the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes dating back to the Han Dynasty, which saw China trade silk and other commodities with the East and the West. There are also lantern sculptures to take visitors on a journey across Europe, Asia and Egypt, through to ancient China.

The tradition of making lanterns goes back more than 2,000 years in China, where artists have been making illuminated artworks for generations.

The festival is the brainchild of David Lee and Ian Xiang of Weli Creative, who explained: “We were absolutely delighted to see London’s extremely enthusiastic response to this important Chinese tradition last year and were keen to make it an annual event for the UK. Beautiful Chiswick House gardens is the perfect backdrop for the Lantern Festival, providing a stunning location and canvas for these magnificent, illuminated lantern sculptures, which leave visitors of all ages delighted and hungry to share pictures with friends.”

This year there is also an ice rink, a funfair, virtual reality, games and food on offer. The festival will be open until February 26 at Chiswick House, Burlington Lane, Chiswick, W4 2RP.